Life in Apronland.

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When I started this whole ‘making aprons’ thing, I thought it would go the way of macrame’ plant hangers and photo cards – in other words, I didn’t think it would last! Now approaching apron #2000, I’m still flying by the seat of my pants.
Because I thought I’d get over this (ha!), I didn’t jump in feet first and buy a lot of special equipment. I had a sewing machine, a camera, a few patterns and a computer. That’s all I needed, right?
It wasn’t long before I had to get creative about storing stuff.
*I used an old bookcase for my children’s fabrics

*Plastic egg crates on sale from Walmart ($1!) gave me some fabric storage under the kids’ aprons
*I had one small closet for aprons and I added plastic storage bins above and below for all manner of stuff – trims, ribbon, scraps, etc.

Your basic crammed closet – plus doorway overflow

*Command hooks gave me more hanging space (as did a back of the door hanger)

*My daughter’s rolling cart became my mobile accessory organizer
*I got a plus size dress form (bought her a big girl bra at Wally World) and named her Gertrude
*My husband made me wooden racks to use when I have overflow
*Baggies became my new best friends!! I use them for everything from patterns, to buttons, clips, D rings and bobbins

Bags of clips and rings

Bags of sorted buttons

Bag ‘o bobbins

Home made half apron patterns

*Grandma’s dining room buffet became my mailing station
*Every spare closet in the house has SOME aprons in it! So does my storage room.
*My ‘sweatshop’ has no less than a DOZEN lights to help my failing eyes
*Plastic buckets hold trim scraps (and, yes, they do get used!)
*Rubbermaid tubs hold pounds and pounds of scraps (for patchwork aprons, scrap projects and quilts as time permits)
*Patterns have been traced onto Dollar Store paper in every size. Keeping them organized is an ongoing battle and fodder for many UFFDA days!
*Color coded storage units hold trims and thread (and the overflow spills out from there!)

The thread organizer

Bucket of trims

Color coded rickrack and binding

I used to have a dining room table – now I have a cutting board . . . hmmmm.

The rolling accessory cart – stuff to jazz up the photos!

Gertrude

Occasionally it looks neat.

I love seeing people that have ‘inspiring’ and organized work spaces – maybe someday. Until then, I’m still FLYING BY THE SEAT OF MY PANTS!

When I started this whole apron thing, it was kind of a lark. Like my Dad used to say, it was ‘something to do.’ I just sort of eased into it, thinking ‘I’ll see how it goes.’
Well, it went! Now I’m busier than a one-legged River Dancer, aprons have crept into every corner of my home and the whole thing has sort of taken on a life of it’s own.
With the holiday season fast approaching, my family room is literally covered with fabric and aprons!

Contrast fabrics for the Christmas aprons on Chair #1

Christmas fabrics waiting for me to decide how to use them! Chairs #2 and #3

The ‘manly’ fabrics – chair #4

Aprons waiting to be photographed and posted

The cutting table

The ‘fancies’ for my special order (sitting on my shipping buffet)

Those scraps I’m saving for something someday!

Not only that, but the racks of finished fall and winter aprons in there, too!
The ‘sweatshop’ is in a similar state. Dad, with his never-ending collection of cliches would say, “Looks like a tornado hit it!” Keep in mind, this is all in about a 11’x12′ room – YIKES!

Quartet of Christmas aprons finished

The sewing table has just enough surface left to keep going.

The closet is packed

The ready-to-sew table with ready-to-go flat aprons boxed underneath

Kids’ fabric collection

Kiddie corner! The finished and ready children’s aprons

And, back in the corner of the family room is the office where I try valiantly to keep track of it all!

Then the UFFDA portion of the day kicked in! For the uninformed, “UFFDA” is a precursor of the modern text language OMG. It can mean anything from ‘holy cow’, to ‘I can’t believe this’, to ‘you’ve GOT to be kidding!” First, I got my petals mixed up and sewed them in the wrong order. Then I had to rip those seams (double, because they were French seams). Then I decided it needed to be wider, so I found some additional coordinating petals. Sewed one of those on backwards – French seams are tricky for me. More ripping and this time – because I got impatient – I ripped both seam AND fabric!!! UFFDA. No way to repair and no more of that fabric available, even after tearing apart my scrap bin. MORE ripping x2!! Double UFFDA. Found some more fabric and added in apple pies to finish the skirt. Got it all together eventually, but only because it was me vs. the apron at that point and I HAD to win! Good grief (UFFDA) – it’s cute in the long run, but wowzer, it was definitely an UFFDA apron!

I can’t believe I’m really doing this! ME – blogging! I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone. If I’m going to do this, I can’t see me posting more than once a week – after all, there’s the REAL ‘life in Apronland’ where I actually make aprons, not just talk about them. So, don’t hold your breath waiting for posts – you’ll just turn blue and you don’t want to look like a Smurf! I’ll try to think up something interesting to say by the next time I add a new post!